MIKE BRAUN Radicals bear vigilance

The more I hear about the antics of the anti-hunting set, the more I just shake my head and wonder how the human race has survived this far. Recently, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals sent me a letter asking if I would participate in Fish Amnesty Day. The request cited scientists who said that fish are unduly tortured and made to suffer when anglers hook them. PETA had named Sept. 28 as Fish Amnesty Day and urged those who like to fish to go camping or hiking instead adding, "Fish Amnesty Day has been set aside to give fish a respite from the constant torment that they suffer at the hands of people who could easily entertain themselves without hurting any living being ... . If they can't, they may be addicted to playing a fish in the same way that some people become addicted to playing Nintendo, and that isn't healthy." Well, needless to say, I did not comply with this latest bit of PETA idiocy. And if the flotilla of bass boats I saw heading out of Canfield on Saturday morning are any indication, not many people did. Campaign resumes On a related note, PETA has resumed its "Got beer?" campaign aimed at college-age students. Ads promoting the campaign were to appear in a number of college newspapers. Originally unveiled in 2000, the campaign was scrapped after a few days after overwhelming protests from groups such as MADD. PETA, never a group known for intelligence, decided to resume the campaign with a rather idiotic disclaimer that they were not promoting beer drinking, but rather were trying to show how milk is harmful. Cow patties! I say PETA knows full well that college kids need no exhortation to drink, but when they get one, they will gladly belly-up to the tap. Simply put, PETA is once again being irresponsible, but that's nothing new. Advocating violence Finally, an article in the Christian Science Monitor on Thursday, pointed to "a possible increase in violence associated with radical environmentalists and animal-rights activists some of whom now vow that they 'will no longer hesitate to pick up the gun to implement justice." One group went so far as to say it would no longer refrain from nonviolent means. In fact, some of the groups have posted bomb-making steps on Web sites, have been linked to fires and bombings at research labs and fur farms and have mailed letter bombs and razor blades covered with rat poison to fur farmers, to publishers of a big-game hunting guide, and to companies that export live animals. Chilling. Any group with a cause has a right to expound on it in our country, with the full protection of the Constitution. And I'd protect that right, no matter the cause. However, when reason is supplanted with violence and human lives are at stake, I draw the line. braun@vindy.com